Who wouldn’t want to be Quality Director for “Probably” the best beer brand? Carlsberg's own search had been more difficult than they anticipated so they briefed Drayton to carry out a full market review.
The Brief
Carlsberg had struggled to find a Quality Director for their UK business. They had been looking for individuals with relevant industry experience and had exhausted their efforts. The UK beer industry has been undergoing a significant downsizing so there are fewer individuals with the capability to step in to a multi-national organisation.
We were briefed to identify someone with the appropriate cultural fit and the gravitas to bring about change at all levels of the business. Change was required but this needed to be delivered in a sustainable way.
Drayton Partners Approach
We decided to start our search by identifying all the key leaders in relevant drinks businesses, just in case anyone had been missed. This very quickly highlighted that there were several people who weren’t aware of the role and would be appropriate. We engaged with these individuals and assessed their fit. In conjunction with the sector search, we also looked for individuals in relevant local food and drink companies. The opportunity to move in to a multi-national appealed to a number of individuals and we quickly highlighted the most relevant.
Outcome
Having conducted our internal assessment, we shared four profiles with Carlsberg. Three came from within the drinks industry and one from outside. Having conducted a thorough review with all of the candidates, Carlsberg identified that the candidate from outside the industry would be the ideal fit. They were particularly excited by their experience of operating in a high pace environment and the strong stake holder management skills. We supported the offer process and were delighted to secure Carlsberg's preferred candidate.